Hi All,
I figured this might be easier than forwarding around an email like I did last time. But anyway I have a few updates I’d like to share with those that care. Some of this you can skip if you want but the real reason for this blog is a conversation with a Tech here spawned from the fact that a patient that’s been here for 3 months just started walking about 20 minutes ago. His was a gang-related gunshot wound. If you want to skip to what I learned from that conversation, go to the paragraph that starts… the real reason.
Today was my first full day in rehab. I was transferred yesterday in an ambulance. Rebecca rode along which was nice. As soon as I arrived I realized this place lives up to its reputation as the top rehab joint in the country. Everyone is extremely knowledgeable, including the nurse staff, the PT (physical therapy) equipment is the latest and greatest, etc. It’s great.
My morning starting with OT (occupational therapy) testing how I could do at putting clothes on. I probably got a B+ for the shirt and a D for the shorts. But she seemed pleased. Then another test to wash myself, followed by some questions. Eval stage. The much more interesting eval was the PT, which followed. I got into my brace, sat up in bed, and kind of shimmied across this plank into a wheelchair. I was so excited I just went ahead and did a few slow laps around the place, stopping by the fridge to pick up one of my smoothies. It was all very painful but I didn’t really care. Found a magazine on my tour about wheelchair tennis, rugby, basketball… there are TONS of very competitive events out there. Crazy and cool.
The afternoon OT session was much more interesting. Back to the wheelchair and into the gym to balance sitting still (way harder than it sounds) and hit a balloon back and forth with the therapist. It was extremely easy so she gave me a ball I had to catch with two hands. Much harder to do without falling over. Then she gave me what looked like wooden versions of the Perfect Pushup and I did 2x10 dips. It was nice to make such great progress but also frustrating that I can’t just jump on the ground and do some pushups like I used to do. Oh well. Day by day.
The real reason I’m writing is because of this Tech Assistant, Zebe (pronounced zee-bee) who has been gabbing it up with me all night. I now am an expert on catheters, the functionality of the bladder, the functionality of the large intestine, rectum and sphincter, and most importantly, know some more about when to look for signs of change. When that other patient started walking, the nurses got excited and generally everyone was in a good mood. I asked how long he’d been here - 3 months. This led to the following info he shared, much of which the doctors won’t for liability reasons. FYI Zebe has been doing this for well over a decade and knows his stuff. He’s smart, older, and doesn’t care about liability stuff.
- The fact that I have sensation in my legs is a very good sign
- After surgery, the spinal cord is clenched from the swelling/healing area. This takes 2-3 weeks, or more, to dissipate. This is the pain in my back right now, mostly.
- The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves, right? After the swelling fades, one by one each of those individual strands of nerves starts firing again. Or not. There is literally zero way of knowing which ones will or won’t. The more that do, the better chance of gaining functionality. But this part of the process takes another 1-4 months, or longer.
- The lower in the spine the injury, the better chance of walking again. Mine is at T12. He said that’s like borderline for tons of different things and nerves in the body. I will likely research more. The guy that walked today was T6.
He explained that doctors in the past were burned by saying a patient would or wouldn’t walk again. Often times ones told they would couldn’t, and those told they couldn’t, could. There is NO way to know what will happen, or even reasonably predict. Everyone here says that’s the worst part about spinal injury is the inability to compare to other injuries. No two are the same and therefore my case is unique, just like everyone else’s. I can hope, though.
Tomorrow is another day.
Much love,
Chip
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